


31 Days of Wayhaven- Nate x Pearl (Just like this)

by SmallTownWriter12342



Series: Nate and Pearl [2]
Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26771194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmallTownWriter12342/pseuds/SmallTownWriter12342
Summary: This is just a collection of all the prompts for 31 days of Wayhaven for Nate and Pearl in one place. I am making this a series so it is still connected to the original fic
Relationships: Female Detective/Nathaniel "Nate" Sewell
Series: Nate and Pearl [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944649
Kudos: 20





	1. Day 2-Monster-Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> I am still going to be updating Just Like This with snippets of these two, but for 31 days of Wayhaven, they will all go here. Hope you guys like it!

Saying that Nate had been a vampire for a long time would be a bit of an understatement.

Of course, not as near as long as Adam, but long enough.

And even after all of this time, he had never quite gotten used to it. The craving for humanity had always followed him, and he had grieved the lost of it for almost as long as he could remember.

But he had always tried to find the positives in it, devoting himself to the learning and wisdom that living forever allowed for, and committed himself to Unit Bravo and the sense of family that he found in it.

That ache, however, got even worse when he met Pearl.

While as Mason would say he “never got out of the 17th century”, Pearl thrived in the modern world, knowing how all mechanical devices worked like it was a language of its own, while Nate would have just floundered through it, the new-fangled technology of the modern world never something that he could master.

Even with that difference between them, Nate had found himself drawn to her, and was pleased to find it was the same for her, and he treasured every moment that they spent together in their newly founded relationship. 

But sometimes, a memory entered his head, and it never failed to overwhelm him.

He was in the warehouse where they had taken down Murphy, and after Pearl’s plan allowed Adam the chance to move forward and knock him out, then watching her as she gave him a smile before collapsing to the ground.

Then it always got worse.

He remembered the sting in his lungs, with a hunger at a strength that he had not felt for many years, a mix of fear and disgust at himself as he forced himself to turn away, trying hard not to notice that it was not affecting the others nearly as strong as it was for him.

The what-ifs started to fill his mind next, the overwhelming feeling of if had given in to the thirst enough to make him outwardly shake, and he gripped the chair in front of him as a way to give him a sense of support.

“Nate, are you trying to impersonate Adam?”, a sweet voice broke through the panic, and he allowed himself to relax slightly at the sound of it, but he just about melted when Pearl gave him a gentle hug from behind, then turning her head to try and catch his eyes, “Are you okay?”

He let the memory of the event fall away as best as he could, knowing that Pearl was still here, that Nate had not given in the worst part of himself.

“I’m alright”, he said, allowing his shoulders to relax and give her a ghost of a smile, “Especially now that you’re here”.

Pearl knit her eyebrows, as if she did not quite believe him, but he watched in contentment as a rosy blush fell on her cheeks, and she gently removed her arms from around him, and she moved to face him.

“Nate, you do know you can talk to me about anything, right?”, she asked, reaching out to place her hand on his arm, and his skin tingled at the touch.

“I know so”, he whispered, running his hand down the length of her jaw, brushing one of the stay hairs that fell out of her loose braid out of her face, hoping to see Pearl smile warmly at him, and for his moment of his anxiousness to be forgotten by the both of them.

Pearl did smile at him, but it did not crinkle her eyes like it normally did, but she nodded, as if she decided she was not going to push it, which Nate was grateful for.

“So, what are you doing here?”, he asked, glancing around the library. He had come in there himself to do some research, but had been so distracted by his own thoughts he had neglected it.

“Just came in to check on you before I lock myself into the tech lab”, she chuckled, pushing her glasses back up her nose, “I’m going to take apart the CPU of that laptop that was left behind a few weeks ago now that we got everything off the hard drive, and who knows? Maybe I’ll find something we missed the first few times”. Pearl then paused, and started to laugh at the confused stare that had gone over Nate’s face, “Sorry, that probably didn’t make any sense”.

Over the past few months, hearing Pearl talk about technology was becoming one of his favorite things, even if he got lost in all the words and phrases he did not understand, he would sit there and drink in the sight of her, watching as her green eyes lit up in excitement as if she was just happy to have anyone listen to her.

He gave her a smile, “It might not, but I like hearing you talk about it anyway”.

“Lucky for me then”, Pearl beamed, “Because I don’t know when to shut up”.

Nate laughed, and Pearl stepped onto her tiptoes, pulling him down by his jacket collar to kiss him, which he readily accepted, placing his hand around her waist to pull them closer.

“I’m here for you Nate”, Pearl whispered, leaning her face against his, and not having anything to say to that, he tilted her head up to kiss her again, letting the rush of nerves overwhelm him, and never wanting this moment to end.

And even if the ache in his chest still persisted, Pearl was still here.

_And how glorious that is._

“You trying to distract me from work?”, she said as they broke apart, still holding each other, “Because I’m not sure how much I’m going to be thinking much about work now”.

“I do my best”, he smirked, and Pearl raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, do you now?”

“For you?”, Nate said, “Always”.

Pearl gave him a smile while a blush started to creep up her neck, and Nate grabbed one of her hands, and brought it to his lips, planting a gentle kiss just like he had done on their walk through the woods a few weeks ago.

“I’ll see you around then”, she said as reluctantly leaving the room, “You know where to find me”.

Nate watched Pearl leave, expecting to say something as she left, but he ended up just watching her leave, utterly enchanted by her.

The darker thoughts entered his head as she left, but he tried his best to push them out.

_This is too sweet to let doubts ruin it._

And as if was trying to convince himself, he stood up straighter and squared his shoulders, and went walking through the long lines of bookshelves, getting started on research, but always looking back to the door as he expected Pearl to walk in at any moment.


	2. Day 6-Broken-Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, I really like exploring the trauma of the books with these two, so here is the second part of that!

Pearl could remember that moment well.

Being forced to make that choice.

She could remember the panic as she looked over to Sanja with the trappers, and then a yell of pain from Nate was enough to throw her out of that orbit.

Nate had looked at her calmly, and shook his head, and Pearl understood that he did not want her to go after him, and as the feeling as if she breathing through sandpaper filled her lungs, she turned away, a heavy weight in her stomach, and she and Mason worked together to get Sanja out of the trapper’s clutches. 

Pearl could hardly remember running over to Nate’s side, her vision blurry, and knew that she got down to his side and said something, but no matter how many times the memory played through her head, she could not remember it. She watched as Adam had gently pushed her aside and took Nate back to the Agency, feeling as if her heart had broken in two.

It had been the right choice, right? Saving Sanja had allowed for the treaty to happen, and Nate had turned out okay in the end, and it had been what he wanted her to do.

Then why did she feel like it was the wrong one?

She still remembered walking into Nate’s room after she was given the clear to go in, and having to see him like that, with cuts and bruises all over his exposed skin, made her heart ache in a way that she had never felt before, and all she wanted to do was take it all back and protect him forever.

Nate had told her that she did not want him to see her like this, which still blew her mind every time she thought about it, Pearl only caring that he would be alright, that he would heal.

And he had, but the situation had left her with one realization.

If she had to make that choice like that again, she was going with Nate, no second thoughts.

It almost tore her apart with how selfish it was, but she did not care. What if he had not been alright? 

_I’m not taking that chance again. I’m not going to lose someone I care about._

And she supposed that is why she was here, outside of Nate’s bedroom door in the middle of the night, needing to see him, talk to him, know that he was alright. That her decision had not ruined everything.

Nate answered the door just seconds after she knocked, probably able to sense her thundering heartbeat, and he took one look at her and threw his arms around her in an embrace.

His arms were just about enough to take her out of the moment of panic, and she hugged him back tightly, almost as if he would disappear if she did not.

“Pearl, what’s wrong?”, he asked, gently breaking apart their embrace and moving a lock of her untamed hair out of her face.

She took a deep breath, not quite sure how to phrase it, “Can I- talk to you for a minute?”

Nate’s eyes softened, “Yes, of course. Come in”.

Pearl followed closely behind him, and Nate shut the door behind them as they walked into his room, and they sat together on the edge of Nate’s bed.

She looked around the room that she was starting to know so well, her eyes falling onto the small rabbit plush that still stood proudly on top of the bookshelf, and she allowed herself to smile, and Nate rested his arm on her lower back, his eyebrows raising slightly as permission for her to speak.

“You remember when we went to rescue Sanja?”, she asked, almost feeling stupid for asking it. _Of course, he remembered._

Nate gave a slight nod to that statement, and Pearl tried to let herself continue, even with the memory of the situation making her hands to shake.

She had meant to try and explain her feelings from the beginning, but it all kind of blurted it out at once, Nate cupping her shaking hands in his free one.

“If I have to make a choice like that again, I’m choosing you”.

Pearl felt Nate flinch at the statement, grasping her hands tighter, his mouth parted as if he wanted to say something, and she could feel her shoulders slump.

“Is that selfish of me?”

“Pearl, I wouldn’t want you to”, Nate said breathlessly.

“But I’d still would”, she muttered, and then feeling like she had to explain herself she continued, “Nate, I’m not going to lose you”.

“You didn’t”, he interrupted, “And you won’t”.

“You can’t promise something like that”, Pearl said, “And you know that”.

Nate sighed, and he brought up his hand to her face, gently tracing it with his fingers, “I can’t. But I will anyway. I have searched way too long for someone like you, and I’m not going let anyone take this away from us”.

All Pearl could do was sit there stunned at the statement, but she let her doubts fall away, even for just a moment, and she leaned her head forward on Nate’s chest out of a mix of shock and relief.

“I can’t say what the future will hold”, Nate whispered, bringing his head closer to hers, “I don’t know what kind of choices we’ll have to make. But focusing on that won’t do either of us any good. There is still plenty to for us to enjoy right now”

Pearl moved to look up at him, allowing herself to be lost in the gaze of his gentle brown eyes, letting her normal stubbornness dissolve away, and she moved her forehead to rest on Nate’s, which he returned before moving his head to softly kiss the edges of her jaw, and Pearl could feel herself smile.

With feeling like she could say nothing else, Pearl let herself get lost in the moment, knowing that Nate was thinking the exact same as she was, and they sat together as the hours rolled by, just enjoying each other’s company.

It may have been simple, but the peace was unmatched by anything she had ever felt before, and Pearl knew that she never wanted for the two of them to end.


	3. Day 10-Blood-Differences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning!- There is some slight blood. It is pretty tame, but warning nonetheless

Blood had never affected Pearl before.

Before ending up as the detective of Wayhaven, Pearl had debated becoming a doctor, and while it ended up not being the right route for her, she had been the viewer of many autopsies, able to stomach it more than most people could.

But she was not quite sure what happened, but after the fight with Murphy, something changed, and Pearl suddenly wanted nothing to do with it.

Maybe it was a constant reminder of her own blood, something that she getting more and more fearful would fall into the wrong hands.

Which is why when she got the call that the Agency wanted them to check out a crime scene a few hours away from Wayhaven, she had immediately been set on edge, though she fought hard not to let in show.

_You’ve done things like this before, why would now be any different?_

“You okay Pearl?”, a gentle voice cut through, and she looked over to Nate in the passenger seat of her silver hatchback, his long legs squashed in the small space. The rest of the team had left before them, but Nate had stayed behind because Pearl had to finish writing a police report about vandalism in downtown Wayhaven before she was able to go.

Pearl gave him a smile, “When am I not?”

Nate frowned at that, and she continued, “Nate, we’ve done things like this before. Why would this time be any different?”

“That doesn’t mean everything always affects you the same”, he countered, “Our experiences change how we view the world”

She paused at that, seeing the truth in her words, but she said anyway, “Always full of wisdom, aren’t you?”

He gave a chuckle at that, but it was without mirth, “Living three centuries makes you experience many things”.

Pearl sighed, before smiling again, “I’m sure it does”.

A moment of silence passed between the two of them, and she watched as the concern had never left Nate’s face, and she really did not want to burden him with her own worries, as much as she had come to love his protectiveness, never having anyone who cared about her in that way before, she knew that would be all Nate would be thinking about if she did.

“I’ll be okay”, she finally said, “My thoughts have just been in overdrive recently.” She then gave him a grin, “Thank you for asking though”.

He gave her a gentle smile that made her pulse flutter, and it was not long afterward that they made it to the crime scene.

Pearl could feel her throat tighten as she made her way to the area where bright yellow crime scene was roping off an area of several feet, but she did her best to ignore it as they walked over the others.

“Remind me why we were called here again?”, she said as she walked up, looking at Adam for an answer.

“There could be possible supernatural involvement”, Adam stated matter-of-factly.

“Doesn’t really to seem to be any of the sorts”, Pearl heard Felix mutter, and then he perked up to look at her, “At least you’re here Pearl. You’re better at this science-y stuff”.

She laughed at the statement, “I’m no forensic investigator, but I try my best”, then turning to look at the scene.

The body had already been removed when she came to the scene, but the blood still remained, in small spatters all around the scene in castoff on the concrete, and a thick stain around where the body must have been, it now brownish-red from being exposed so long. It was hardly what anyone would call a bloody scene.

Despite that, Pearl could feel her hands start to shake, but she clenched them together tightly. What happened with Garrett Hayes was way worse than this, why would this affect her more?

She felt Nate’s hand tighten on her shoulder, and she turned to look at him. The worry in his eyes were evident without him having to say anything, and she gave him a small smile before turning to Adam.

“Did you guys ever get a predicated cause of death?”

Adam nodded, “Exsanguination”.

Pearl felt herself frown, “Are you sure they were killed here?”

“Why wouldn’t they be?”, Mason broke in.

“In order to be at risk for blood lost”, she explained, “A person has to lose about 40% of their total blood volume. After a liter is lost, they are likely to become unconscious and at more than 1.5 liters, death becomes more and more likely. But from the amount of blood here, that doesn’t seem possible”.

The team stared back at her blankly, as if they were not sure what to say to that, and she felt herself grin, “For vampires, you guys really don’t know that much about blood, do you?”

Felix gave a bright laugh at the statement, and Nate could not seem to be able to suppress a smile. Mason actually gave a smirk, and Adam rolled his eyes so hard Pearl was sure he was able to see the back of his skull.

“Then what do you think happened?”, Nate asked, a smile still on his lips.

Pearl felt herself sigh, ‘Without seeing the body? I’m not sure. If it was exsanguination, they weren’t killed here”, as she finished that statement, she turned to Adam, “Why were we called to check this out? This doesn’t seem like something that the Agency would send a whole team to”.

To her surprise, Adam actually shrugged, “To be honest, I’m not sure. There has been reason to believe that a rouge werewolf could be in the area, but sending all of us is a bit strange”.

“It doesn’t normally happen?”

He shook his head, “No, it does not”.

“Well, we’ll just have to treat this like every other case”, she said, “I’m going to talk to the coroner”.

“And I will go with you”, Nate interrupted, his voice slightly hurried, and she nodded back at him.

“The rest of us are going to look into why we were called here in the first place”, Adam said, and with that, Pearl and Nate started making their way to the coroner’s van.

“It’s harder than you expected”, Nate suddenly said, and as much as Pearl wanted to deny it, try and brush it off like she normally did, she found it hard to do so around him.

“I suppose it is”, she muttered, “Not quite sure why though”

He brushed a loose strand of hair from her braid out of her face, “You’ll figure it out. I have faith in that”.

She smiled warmly at him, “Thanks Nate”

Nate returned her smile, and they made their way together, Pearl finally feeling a semblance of strength in her step with him by her side.


	4. Day 17-AU-X-Files AU Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> X-files AU with Nate and Pearl

Pearl had walked into the station for what had been a thousand times, and she expected today to be no different.

She was a tech analyst for the FBI, and spent most her day staring at screens, working on whatever case was assigned to her, and while she was happy to be doing this, allowing her to hone her technology skills, she wanted nothing more than to get out into the field someday.

“Good morning Agent Reid”, the receptionist said as the checked in, as she did every morning, “Agent Sung wants to speak to you”.

Agent Sung was her supervisor, but usually was too busy with sucking up to his own supervisors to pay much attention to the people who worked under him. Him asking to meet with her was a surprise, and she felt herself pause at the statement, “Did he say why?”

“It’s not my job to know why”, she said with a remarkable amount of snark, and it took all Pearl had not to roll her eyes at the statement. 

Thanks anyway”, was all that she could say, and she made her way to Agent Sung’s office, her steps quickening as she did so.

She entered the office quietly, and she was surprised to find that Agent Sung was not the only one in there. Agent Friedman was as well, a man that she only knew by name only, dressed in the ill-fitting suit that he was known for, his face always flushed pink, his hair white and receding. 

“It’s nice for you to join us, Agent Reid”, he said, with an almost condensing tone as she entered.

“I was told that Agent Sung wanted to meet with me”, she said, tearing her gaze away from Agent Friedman.

“And I do”, Agent Sung confirmed, “Have a seat”.

Pearl hesitated, but gave in and sat down, folding her hands in her lap in order to keep them from drumming on her legs from all of the nervous energy that was filing her.

“I suppose I’ll cut to the chase”, Agent Sung said, “I’m removing you from your post”.

She immediately felt her stomach fall, helplessness filling her. She had given her all in her career, how could this happen now? 

“It has nothing to do with your skills, Agent Reid”, he continued, “You are simply being assigned work with someone else”.

“Who would that be?”

“Have you heard of Agent Nathaniel Sewell?”. Agent Friedman spoke up.

The name was vaguely familiar to Pearl, but she could not think anything that she knew about him, so she shook her head.

You have many skills, Agent Reid”, he continued, “Your work as a tech analyst has been unparalleled. Your skills would fill in some ways that he is lacking”.

Pearl was unsure how to take that bit of information, but she asked instead

“How many other people are on the assignment?”

“For now? Just you and him”, Agent Sung said, “And I don’t see that changing anytime soon”

“It said in last year’s progress check that you would like to work in the field”, Agent Friedman spoke, “You’ve gotten your wish I suppose”.

Ignoring the sudden bite in his voice, she turned to Agent Sung, “When do I start?”

“As soon as you meet with him”, he replied, “His office in the western wing, room number 1730. But we need to be agreement with something before you do”.

“And that would be?”

“Anything that happens while you work with Agent Sewell, any evidence that you found, any information about his methods needs to be in your reports, understood?”

The statement felt strange, and Pearl was almost offended that she would keep anything from her reports in the first place, but she nodded anyway, “Understood”

“Good luck with it all, Agent”, she heard Agent Friedman call out to her as she got up and left the room.

It did not take long in order to find his office, and it then hit Pearl that in the panic of getting removed for assignment and seemingly randomly placed in a new one, she had never asked what the actual assignment dealt with.

_I’m really going to be looking all prepared now. Great job me._

Trying to look as professional as she possibly could, she knocked on the office door, and slowly opened the door.

The office inside was not like any that he had ever been in, and at first, she thought she must be in the wrong place. Tall Bookshelves of mahogany covered every single way space, the lamps that were in some of the corners emitted a warmer light then the normal overhead lights did. The whole room was like walking straight into some eighteenth-century library, and it was the first time she had seen an Agent’s office without any computer in sight.

“You must be Agent Reid”, said a warm voice, and she turned in the direction of it, “It’s nice to meet you”

The first thing that she noticed about the man in front of her was that he was tall, having to at least be over six feet. Pearl would never describe herself as short, but suddenly, she definitely felt so.

He was dressed in a dark brown suit that seemed to be tailored to fit just him, a dark green tie acting as a shock of color against it. His chestnut-colored hair was styled back, at the moment short, but from the way that it seemed to stick out in the back, he was growing it out longer. His tawny skin seemed to almost glow against the light of the room, and his gentle brown eyes reached her own, and at the softness of them, it took her a moment to answer.

“I am. And unless I wandered off into the wrong place, you must be Agent Sewell”

“You found your way, don’t worry”, he said, with a small chuckle, giving her a smile that seemed to light up the whole room.

“So”, she began, not sure how to explain how she had no idea what this assignment was even about, “I was not informed why they put me together with you”.

“I wish I can say that I am surprised, but unfortunately, I cannot”, he replied, “Have a seat, I’ll explain”.

Pearl raised an eyebrow, not quite sure where he was going with this, but having a seat anyway, and he sat across from her.

“So, Agent Reid”, he smiled, “What do you know about the X-files?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am well aware this is very much a tease. I was going to add more to it, but it ended better if I just left it off here. But I will be continuing it after the 31 Days. :) I really love this idea, and I more that I want to do with it!


	5. Day 20-Fear-Trepidation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate's protectiveness and Pearl's stubbornness clash

Nate knew he was not going to be able to talk Pearl out of it.

But he also knew there was absolutely nothing that was going to stop him from trying.

_I can’t let her go alone, I can’t._

He knew it was selfish, but he could not stop thinking about the thousand ways this could possibly go wrong.

But Pearl had done this before, had she not? There was no reason why now could be any different, but Nate could not stop the fear from prickling up his spine.

Something was telling him that tonight would be different, and as hard as might have tried, he could not get that out of his head.

_I don’t think I could take losing her._

Even with the more rational side of him telling him that everything would be fine, he let himself catch up with her anyway.

“Pearl, please wait”

To what he was not sure he was relieved by or not, she turned around to look at him.

“What is it?”

He moved closer to her, in an attempt to close the gap between them, “Do you really think this is a good idea?”

She gave him a confused look, “Are you saying that as if wasn’t the other times?”

“Well, no” he shrugged, “But I got a really bad feeling about this”

We can’t not do our job because of a feeling, Nate”, she said, with no bite in her voice, more so trying to reassure him, “It’s all going to turn out okay”

“But what if it doesn’t?”, he responded breathlessly, almost against his will.

“Nate, you need to trust me, it will”, Pearl said, and then her face fell slightly, “Do you not trust me?”

“Of course, I trust you”, he answered quickly, “This isn’t about that”

“Then what is this about?”, she asked, frustration rising in her voice, “Because I’m afraid I really don’t understand”.

He closed his eyes as he said it, as if that would lessen the blow at all, “Pearl, I can’t lose you”

Her eyes went wide in surprise, and for a second, she seemed at a lost at what to say, “It’s just going to be a talk. It’s not the first time either, and I don’t see how you would lose me from this”.

“A talk against an increasingly hostile force”, he countered, “It would be safer if you had someone with you”

“Part of the stipulations that was agreed upon was that I was going to be the one that would their contact with the Agency, you know this”, she said, “If I showed up with a vampire that could ruin everything that we’ve worked to build up so far”.

“Tensions are already starting to rise”, Nate said, the worry slipping into his voice, “Would it really be a bad idea to bring someone with you?”

“That’s all the more reason to follow what was agreed to. We cannot afford to risk losing that progress”, she stated firmly, but she reached out to put her hand on his arm, “You aren’t going to lose me”

He placed his own hand over hers, but his fears had not subsided, “Pearl, you can’t be sure of that” Nate tried to stop his voice from breaking as he continued, “I don’t think I could take it if I lost you”

“And you know that I couldn’t bear to lose you either, right?”, she whispered, “But I need to do this alone. It’s what’s best for everyone involved, you can’t deny that”

Not being able to argue that point without sounding selfish, he elected to stay silent instead, and he turned his face away.

“Hey”, Pearl said quietly, bringing her hand up to gently hold his face in her hands, “Please don’t look at me like that. It’s going to be alright”.

Nate wished desperately that he could share her optimism, but he allowed himself to lean into her touch, trying to slow his panicked heartbeat.

“I’ll call you when I get there, okay?”, she said, giving him a warm smile, gently removing her hand.

He nodded, not trusting himself to say anything else, and Pearl moved to stand on her tiptoes to kiss the side of his face as a goodbye, and he watched her go, feeling as though his heart had fallen to his stomach.

At the weight of it all, he collapsed in the armchair in the corner of the social room.

_I knew I was fighting a losing battle before it even began, why did I hope it would go differently?_

It had been a foolish hope to ever try and change Pearl’s mind, but Nate could not say he regretted at least trying. But now all he had coursing through his veins was fear, and even though he hardly understood his phone, he held it tightly in his grasp, waiting for the call that she had promised him.

It finally came about an hour afterward, and he was pretty sure he had never clicked the accept call button so fast, “Pearl?”

“Yeah, it’s me”, she answered, “I just got here, but they haven’t showed up yet”.

“They said 10 PM, right?”

“I’ve never got here before them”, she said, her voice trailing off, “I’m really not sure what means or if that means anything at all”.

Anxiousness seemed to flood him at the statement, but he said anyway, “I’m sure it’ll all turn out okay”.

“Yeah”, she sighed, “I’m probably overthinking it”

“If something happens”, Nate said, “You get out of there, as quickly as possible, okay?”

“Promise”, she said, and even though he could not see her, he could hear the smile in her words, “Okay, I got to go. I’ll talk to you later”

“Stay safe”, he added, trying to hide the concern in his tone.

“I will”, she answered, “Please don’t worry about me too much, alright?”

She hung up the phone, and he let out a sigh.

_I wish it was that simple, Pearl. I really do._


	6. Day 22-Window-Museum Date

“Can I open my eyes yet?”

“Not yet”, Pearl said, giving him a smile.

On a rare day off for the both her and Nate, she had decided that instead of Nate taking on her a date, she would return the favor and take him on one.

She still had not told him where they were going, wanting it to be a surprise, even though he had done his best to get her to tell him the whole way there, and he was just about convincing enough.

But she was determined. She was not about to give it up just yet.

A few months ago, now, Pearl had found out Nate had a liking for museums during her first meeting with Unit Alpha, and while the information had not been something that particularly surprised her, it had been on the forefront of her mind recently, and she could think of no better place to take him.

She pulled her car into a parking space at the National History Museum in the Big City, taking in the sight of tall white building with Greek-inspired columns, “Alright, open them up”

He did, and she watched his face fall in surprise, and let out a light laugh.

“Heard you liked museums”, she said, giving him a smirk.

“Oh, and I wonder where you may have found that out”, Nate answered, giving her a smile.

Pearl laughed, “Well, daylight’s fading. Let’s get down to it, shall we?”

They excited out of her car, and Nate entwined their fingers together, and she fought hard to fight the blush that was rising on her face.

“You want to lead the way?”

“Oh, Agent, I’d be honored to”, she grinned, and they walked up to together to the front, and she took in the sight of everything as they walked inside together.

The main lobby of the museum resembled the design of the front, tall ceilings with octagon patterns all in its neat rows, tall columns on all of the entryways to the different parts of the museum, and with flags from different countries lining the walls. But the main focus point of it all was the two dinosaur skeletons, one a Brachiosaurus and one a Tyrannosaurus-Rex, both of them towering over everyone in the room.

“Quite impressive, isn’t it?”, Nate suddenly asked, seemingly thinking the same thoughts she was.

“Remember when those were around?”, she said, giving him a mischievous smile, unable to resist making that joke.

“Oh, I was waiting for that joke”, he chuckled.

“Are you disappointed?”

“No”, he smiled, “And to answer your question, I don’t remember. But perhaps Adam does”.

Pearl gave a snort of laughter at the thought of Adam’s reaction if she asked him the same question, and they went ahead and paid for admission before walking into the next part of the museum.

“Where do you want to go?”, she asked, trying to unfold the map that she got at the front desk with one hand.

“Wherever you want to”, he shrugged, as if that was obvious.

“You know how indecisive I am, Nate”, she said, “We’ll be here all night if you let me decide”.

“Then let’s start from the beginning then”, he replied, pointing to the spot labeled “1” on the map.

“Sounds good to me”

They spent the next hour walking through each part of the museum, their hands clasped tightly together, and Pearl did not think of anything better in the entire world then this moment.

“Having you with me has been like having my own personal tour guide at some of these exhibits”, she said, “You know more about some subjects then some of the presenters do”

Nate gave a chuckle, “And it’s been quite interesting hearing you try to explain to me how computers were invented”.

“It still confusing to you?”

“Very much so”, he smiled, “But I’ll listen to it again, provided it’s from you”

“I’ll spare you of it for now”, Pearl said, giving him a smirk, “But no promises for the future”

“Then I’ll look forward to it with bated breath”, he said, giving her a smirk of his own.

“Oh, will you now?”, she winked at him, and before Nate could say anything else, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket.

“Adam”, she said, trying to repress a sigh, “He wants to know when we’ll be heading back”.

“We do have an early meeting tomorrow, and I won’t have you tired all the way through it”, Nate said, “We’ll go ahead and leave”

Pearl felt her shoulders slump, and she tried not to be too disappointed, but after driving an hour and half to the big city, and knowing that she would have to do that again was not something she was looking forward to, “Alright. But I’m going to have you drag back here again”.

“Something else that I’ll look forward to”, he said, giving her a knee-weakening smile.

It was not until they made it back to the front that they realized that it was pouring, the sidewalks already starting to get large puddles all around them.

“Well, looks like we’ll have to run through the rain”, Nate stated simply, squeezing her hand, “You ready?”

“Of course,”

With that, Nate opened the door, and he led the both of them outside, the two of them getting soaked in the process. It did not take longer then a few seconds for Pearl’s hair to become dripping with water, and she expected to just go straight to her car, but Nate’s sudden tighten grip on her hand made her pause, and she turned to look at him, drinking in the softness of his brown eyes.

“Thank you for tonight”, he whispered before bringing his lips down to meet hers.

Even with the rain around them, neither of them cared, and she brought him closer to him to deepen the kiss, letting the unmatched bliss run through her veins, feeling as though she would rather not be anywhere else.

Pearl was finally forced to break it apart when she started to feel lightheaded, but she rested her forehead on his, standing on her tiptoes to do so, forgetting all about what they were supposed to be doing.

The rain continued to fall around them, and Pearl gave in the urge to kiss him again, and she let herself be lost in it, letting the pure happiness flood through her.

_When did I get this lucky?_


	7. Day 24-Enchanted-A Spark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did something a bit different for this one, and I rewrote the gaze that you can share with N after the first meeting with Unit Bravo in Book 1. I made it more personal to my detective, but the actual spoken dialogue is the same. The idea itself is a little strange, but I hope you like it! :)
> 
> And it's also really funny how she always ends up with the most friend points with Adam haha

Pearl could not believe _this._

Her first case as a new detective, and of course her mother had to completely high-jack it.

And while she would never admit that to her, pretending as though having help was going to be a good thing for everyone, she was secretly quite upset about it, wanting nothing more than prove that she got the job as detective on merit and that she was not just an easy choice.

_Don’t know what I should be more worried about, the Mayor not trusting my abilities or my own mother thinking I can’t handle it by myself._

However, she was about willing to swallow down all of her pride and go with the flow, not actually minding much about having to work with a team, and also knowing it was not this Unit’s fault that they were here in the first place, but that _Commanding Agent._

She barely could remember his name at the moment, but Pearl was not going to stand for anyone trying to tell her what to do with this case. She was the detective of Wayhaven, and if he wanted to help with the investigation, they were going to have to do it together.

_I am not going to stand to be pushed around by him. I don’t care how stubborn he is. He hasn’t seen my brand of stubborn yet._

Why did it mean so much to him in the first place? After everything was resolved, the Unit were just going to be swept away to another mission, having no personal ties to Wayhaven in the first place, but she knew that she would have to deal with the fallout from it all for possibly years to come.

_At least he relented and let me choose what we were going to do next. That’s at least one thing to be thankful for._

And that was thanks to one of the two of the four Agents that gave her a warm welcome, Agent Nathanial “Nate” Sewell. Even though she had only known him for at the most half an hour, he seemed to bring a calming presence wherever he went, even able to get Agent du Mortain to unfurl his tense stance, something that she could confidently say she was impressed by.

_He’s definitely different then the others on his team._

Pearl had decided that the autopsy from Verda would probably be the most important thing to follow up on, wanting to get the cause of death before doing anything else, and Agent Sewell had agreed to go with her, while the rest were going to, as she had said earlier “crash about town”

“Well, that could have gone better”, she muttered under her breath, doing her best to shake what had just happened as best as she could, even with the frustration from it all still under her skin.

Nate laughed softly, and she was slightly surprised that he had heard her, but she tried her best to act like it was something that she meant to say, “It went better than most meetings Adam has”

Pearl returned his smile, feeling shockingly at ease around him, and she almost forgot about her aggravation with what had happened earlier with the rest of the Unit. 

"I'm sorry about Adam," he continues, still giving her a gentle smile, “We don't often work with others, and I don't think he's too worried about improving his social etiquette when we do.

She gave a small laugh, and even the sentiment of her own mother not trusting her still burned in the back of her mind, she did her best to ignore it, she gave him a shrug, “Don’t worry about it”

"I worry because I don't want your first impression of our team—your mother's team—to be based on Adam's poor social skills.", he says, adding a laugh of his own at the statement. The way that he corrected himself from saying our team to instead her mother’s team stuck out in her mind for some reason, but she did her best to push that away, unsure as to why she took note of it in the first place.

The moment grew quiet between them, and even though Pearl normally had an aversion to silence, she found that it did not bother her this time, actually finding it calming.

Before she knew it, she found herself holding his gaze.

She took in the sight of his gentle brown eyes, full of such warmth and openness that it drew her in, Nate radiating a sense of calmness that her normally scatterbrained self was not used to.

Pearl was not quite sure what this was, or why it was even happening, but he did not turn away, instead returning it, a small smile of his lips.

_What are you doing?_

Regardless of everything else that was happening all around her, she knew one thing.

She was utterly _enchanted_ by the Agent that she had meant 30 minutes ago. 

_I know I’m a bit of a hopeless romantic, but this is ridiculous._

Pearl had no idea what to do with that information, and she was not sure what any of meant, whether it was just a passing fancy or the start of something more.

_The Unit is going to leave after this case anyway, why are you thinking like they’ll be around longer?_

It was the first time she noticed that she was blushing, and she turned away, hoping that it would escape his notice, but from the bright smile that formed on his face, he definitely did.

_Probably best if I just put this behind me for now._

“So, shall we head to your pathologist?”, Nate suddenly said, finally enough to pull her back to reality. 

She nodded, “That sounds good. He’s in the basement”

_Don’t get your hopes up Pearl. You know how this will end if you do_

The conversation continued between the two of them, the moment seemingly forgotten, and they both soon left her office to talk to Verda.


	8. Day 27-Unkempt-Sleepless Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had some trouble working this prompt, so have some Nate and Pearl fluff!

She had been pacing the floor of her bedroom at the warehouse for a few hours now.

A few hours ago, she had decided to go ahead and go to bed early, feeling drained from the day before, but once Pearl actually tried to get some sleep, her mind would not settle, and she was not sure why.

The nightmares were coming less and less frequently, her mind finally seeming to have rationalized what had happened with Murphy, so it was unlikely that it could have been that.

_But what could it possibly be?_

It was likely that it was just stress, since she did have a tendency to completely absorb herself in something until it was completed, any break almost seeming more of laziness on her part.

_Then what do I feel like I’ve forgotten?_

And even though she thought about it for a good bit, nothing jumping out of her. The past few months had actually been quieter than they had been since Unit Bravo came to town, the supernaturals that now resided in Wayhaven doing nothing except continuing to live their lives.

_Maybe the quiet is what is unnerving me then. It’s almost like something is crawling in wait below the surface._

Pearl really did not want to become paranoid about what could be jumping out of the shadows, but with how her mind was buzzing, it was as she knew no other way to be. 

_They always seem to come out when I’m least expecting it, don’t they?_

Frustrated, she pulled her single braid out, the tightness of it starting a painful throb at the side of her head, and she let her honey blond hair hang wild and unruly, wavy kinks in her normally stick-straight hair.

She looked around her room, and even with her skill in technology, the room did not look that way, the only “techy” thing about it was her laptop on her desk. The rest of it was decorated as if was a century ago, grand mahogany bookshelves and other antique furniture filling the room. She was not sure what had drawn her to decorate this way, and Nate had been quite surprised about it, but it was almost simpler. As if her surroundings did not have to parallel her work.

It took her a few moments to realize that someone had knocked on the door, and she dragged her way over there, and she almost hesitantly opened the door, not wanting whoever was there to see her in such a state.

“Good evening Pearl”, Nate said as she opened the door, giving her a warm smile that never failed to fill her stomach full of butterflies even after the months they had been together.

“Evening”, she sighed, doing her best to return his smile despite feeling drained, and she noticed the slightest bit of his right eyebrow raising.

“What are you doing here so late?”, she asked, even though she knew the answer that he was going to give her, knowing that he had probably heard all of the pacing from the past few hours.

_Well, that, and also the fact that he always seems to just know when something is troubling me._

“Just checking in”, he shrugged, but with a hint of worry in his voice.

“And you knew I was still awake”, she said, continuing what he was not willing to.

“I did”, Nate admitted, the gaze of his gentle eyes never leaving hers, and he opened his mouth to say something else before biting it back down.

“Well, you’re here”, she smiled, “And I’m not going to leave you at the doorway, come on inside”.

He gave her a nod of gratitude, and the two of them walked inside together.

Pearl sat down at the edge of her bed, and Nate sat down next to her, their thighs touching, and she could feel herself sigh as he moved his hand to run his fingers through the smaller bits of hair around her face.

“Everything alright?”, he asked, his voice scarcely above a whisper, as if it had been something that he had been wanting to ask.

Part of Pearl wanted to avoid the question, change the subject and act like nothing had ever happened, and with anyone else, that may have been what she would have done.

She always found it hard to do so around Nate however, him seeming to get her to talk about anything just by being willing to listen.

_I do wish that he’d feel like that same way about me sometimes._

For someone as open as he was, he could get mightily deflective when he was supposed to talk about himself, but it had been something that she had let go, knowing that he would come to her when he was ready to.

“Yeah, I’m okay”, she replied, “Just haven’t been able to sleep recently”

“Are you still having nightmares?”, Nate said, his brow furrowing as he said it.

“It’s not that”, she began, “And honestly, I don’t know what it is” She then gave a small laugh before continuing, “That might be what so frustrating about it, really”

Nate continued to run his fingers through her hair, and he gave her a gentle smile, “You’ll figure it out. It’ll just take time”

“Yeah, I know”, she sighed, “I’m just tired of all of the constant cycle of trying to make sense of everything”

He took that opportunity to take her hand and entwine his fingers in her own, rubbing the side of her thumb softly.

“Yeah, I know, it’s all a bit frustrating”, he said, “But it won’t be like that forever. Things may be a mess right now, but that does not mean that they always will be”

Pearl gave him a smile, a smaller one than her normal wide grin, and she felt herself fumble over her words as she asked the question that had been burning in her mind.

“Can you- stay with me for a little while?”

His eyes softened, “Of course”

She then leaned her head on his shoulder, and Nate gently leaned his own head on top of hers, and the sensation of it all left her with an intense calming feeling.

Pearl could feel her eyes go heavy, almost lured to sleep by his closeness next to her, and she was finally got the rest that she had been craving to get.

_I really needed this, thank you._


End file.
